Let’s say you’ve decided to generate online income through affiliate programs but you don’t have a clue how to come up with hot niche ideas. According to Rosalind Gardner, THE web affiliate program leading lady (check out her affiliate ebook here), she favors the following niche marketing research sites -

1. Google’s Zeitgeist has several tools that give insight into global, regional, past and present search trends.
2. Google Trends gives a broad look at search query data. You can enter up to five search terms to see relative popularity over time, letting you compare the world’s interest in your chosen niche markets.
3. Magazines.com lists their 10 Top Titles on their homepage.  Gives insight into popular subjects.
4. eBay Pulse is a daily snapshot of current trends, hot picks, and cool stuff on eBay, including most popular searches.
5. Yahoo’s Buzz Index provides most popular searches on a daily basis in the entertainment industry.
6. comScore Networks compiles reports on consumer behavior and attitudes, based on tracking 2 million people both online and off.
7. JupiterResearch provides research, analysis and advice on the Internet and emerging consumer technologies. According to Rosalind, to “quickly gain access to salient sections of recent Jupiter Research reports, try Googling “jupiter research ____” (_____) being the name of the topic you wish to study.”
8. Google Adwords Keyword Tool is a free tool that provides insight into search performance and seasonal trends on keywords and keyword phrases. Think of it as your very own niche software…and best of all, it’s free!
9. WordTracker tells you the exact keywords and keyword phrases people use when they search - and how popular each word is. This is the market research tool of choice by avid affiliate marketers and search engine optimizers. Although Wordtracker offers a free trial, it’s limited. They offer both yearly and monthly subscriptions and are recommended if you’re serious about your online business.

(cited from Rosalind Gardner’s Net Profits Today)

What are your favorite methods for generating great niche ideas? Do you use special niche software? Is it on our list or do you use something entirely different? Come on, give us a hint!

If you’re new to the Internet or a seasoned veteran, then you’ve heard about affiliate programs and know that affiliate marketing is an extremely lucrative way to generate online income. So what is a web affiliate program (aka, associate program) exactly? Simply put, it’s getting paid a commission for promoting other people’s products and it’s one of the best ways to earn an income online. Aside from being relatively easy, it can be done with little or no advertising expenses, and a multitude of niches can be explored.

Picking the right affiliate products to promote is crucial to your success. That’s why we created the video “2 Minutes to PIcking a Lucrative Affiliate Program.” It includes popular affiliate directories that will get you started, commission structures you can expect, preferred payment methods and those you should avoid, guidance regarding sales or landing pages, and advice on whether an affiliate program is successful or not.

For a more comprehensive look into affiliate marketing, we recommend Rosalind Gardner’s ebook - Super Affiliate Handbook - How I Made $436,797 in One Year Selling Other People’s Stuff Online. As the quintessential expert on web affiliate programs, Rosalind takes you step by step through the ins and outs of affiliate marketing programs and will have you up-to-speed in no time at all. From generating hot niche ideas using niche software to unlocking the secrets that separate lucrative affiliate programs from the rest of the pack, you’re going to want to check out what makes Rosalind successful. If you’re looking for a way to earn money online, quick and with very little investment, make sure you check out her Super Affilate Handbook. Learn it from THE Lady!

Today is the big day. Your chance for some free coaching from award-winning copy writing coach Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero.

For those of you who asked, YES, she will absolutely be dressed in her Halloween costume during the coaching, but you don’t have to be.

And she’ll have a big bowl of candy corn by the phone. (According to Lorrie, Halloween is the only time of year she even dreams of eating candy corn. Otherwise it’s chocolate all the way!)

She’ll love to see your costume or whatever you dress up your kids or pets in. Just send your pix to redhotpix@gmail.com and she’ll post the TOP 5 (along with your website) on her high traffic blog on Monday.

Now, she’s never done this before but after talking with some of her marketing friends who had, she was advised to lay out some guidelines ahead of time -

1.    The special call in times are from 10am to 2pm Pacific, today on Halloween.

2.    Each call is 10 minutes, strictly enforced.

3.    Be prepared to tell her about your business and website in 2-3 sentences. Then ask your single personal question related to marketing to women in your business. She’lll cover your answer for the first 6 minutes. The final 4 minutes she’ll share things with you about her upcoming workshop, *The She Factor.* That seems fair to me!

Not everyone will be able to get through because there’s many subscribers who will be trying to contact her. If you get a busy signal, just hang up and try back during the specified hours.

4.    The number to dial is 1-888-698-2778.

We’ve all been there, unfortunately…shelling out hard-earned money for something that sounds like a good product to someone who seems like a nice person. Maybe even avoided that little voice in our head or the feeling in our gut that said, “Sounds too good to be true.”

And then what happens? The product isn’t at all close to what was described, doesn’t do what all the expert testimonials said it would do. And, what good is a 100% money-back guarantee when the guru goes AWOL.

I’ve made my share of mistakes, believe me…

There was the membership site that was pitched to make you millions and when I finally got the chance to peek inside, nothing was there except an affiliate link to sign up other suckers like me.

Then there was the search engine domination product using Web 2.0 techniques which promised exceptional results and new content for a year. Yes, content was added to this “bare bones” website, but much of it was generated by users trying out the techniques. Occasionally we did get a 5 minute audio clip recorded in the car of this internet marketer…was supposed to inspire our success. Oh, brother. I should’ve listened to my instincts when I connected to our first mastermind call and the “guru” explained the rules for this and subsequent calls. Absolutely no negative comments or the calls would end immediately. How stupid could I be? Turns out, pretty stupid. It wasn’t enough that I wasted $1500 on this pathetic excuse for a mastermind program, but what really took the cake was when he stole an additional $500 from my PayPal account.

And then there’s the countless other programs stacked up in my office, doing nothing but gathering dust.

So I wanted to put together a video that would help people avoid the mistakes that I made over the years. It’s free to you but cost me a fortune I hope it’s helpful. And if you like it, why not think about signing up for our newsletter? Each month we share advice, tools, and other resources that will help you build a flexible career.

This morning I picked up a tweet from Michelle Trent from the Downtown Business Club about an article on Sheri Schmelzer, co-founder of Jibbitz.com, the maker of those adorable charms you can buy for your Crocs. It’s an enjoyable story about how she and her (then) seven year old daughter, Lexie, were inspired one day filling the holes and customizing each of their 12 pairs of Crocs. The rest, they say, is history. Make sure you read the article - it’s short and sweet, as only the folks from Readers Digest do so well.

Although I really enjoyed the story about how she started the company and its subsequent success, I was really fascinated with the second page of the story where Sheri answered some questions about herself and the business. I found it resonated with many of the same themes that we have been discussing over the last few weeks.

For instance:

Reader’s Digest: What did you learn while building the company?

Sheri: Patience. As a mom and a wife, I wanted everything done my way. I was unwilling to let go of any part of it until it was perfect. So I’ve had to learn to slow down. After a few years, I finally get it: Nothing happens overnight.

Women’s Work: Interesting…wanted everything done my way…unwilling to let go until it was perfect. Sound familiar?

Reader’s Digest: Was it difficult having to hire people?

Sheri: We have an amazing crew, but it was hard at first. I wanted to be around the corner listening to their calls to customers, making sure they were saying the right thing. But after doing that for about 48 hours, I had to let go.

Women’s Work: Do you sense some control issues? Yep! And I’ll be the first to admit I’m “guilty as charged.” Many of us women feel like we need to do it all. That’s how we’re wired. But might it hold us back from achieving the success we so deserve?

…and even more enlightening…

Reader’s Digest: Has money changed anything in your life?

Sheri: Now I can relax about paying for the kids’ education. We didn’t go out and buy new cars or a new house. The money means security. And validation.

Women’s Work: Interesting…this reminded me of an interview that we just did with the ladies from the Secret Women’s Business Network where co-founder Allison Reynolds shared that many women entrepreneurs simply are not looking for the same things as their male counterparts. It’s not about the big, fancy car or material trappings that are so often associated with success. It’s not about feeling special or important. According to Allison, it’s more about the stability of money coming in, the excitement of doing something new and collaborating with others, and the validation we feel that we are doing a good job. There seems to be some common themes here, doesn’t there?

If you haven’t had a chance to see the short SWBN interview video, go take a look. Find out what those women are up to!